Careers

About UMass Amherst

The flagship of the Commonwealth, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a nationally ranked public land-grant research university that seeks to expand educational access, fuel innovation and creativity, and share and use its knowledge for the common good. Founded in 1863, UMass Amherst sits on nearly 1,450-acres in scenic Western Massachusetts and boasts state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity. The institution advances a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where everyone feels connected and valued—and thrives, and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges, and 100 undergraduate majors. We believe every member of our university community can contribute to our ongoing success by striving for the highest level of excellence as we seek breakthrough solutions to mounting environmental, social, economic, and technological challenges in our world.

Job Summary

The Associate Provost for Instructional Excellence oversees the development and implementation of strategic initiatives that systematically advance teaching and learning excellence across all academic disciplines and all modes of instruction at UMass Amherst. The Associate Provost combines pedagogical, instructional design, and technology expertise with strategic leadership to enhance teaching across platforms and modalities (including online and in-person teaching) and learning environments across the University. The Associate Provost oversees both the Instructional Design, Engagement and Support (IDEAS) unit and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), ensuring effective collaboration among faculty, academic units, and support services to design and implement high-quality educational experiences.

Essential Functions

• Oversees and coordinates the activities of the IDEAS and CTL teams, fostering a collaborative environment that promotes innovation in teaching and learning across all modalities.
• Contributes to the provost’s office strategic planning and policy development related to instructional excellence.
• Engages academic units on specific projects founded in instructional excellence (e.g., strategic development of programs that improve student success and retention).
• Coordinates strategic development of online courses and programs in collaboration with academic units and campus leadership.
• Collaborates with Information Technology (IT) to ensure technologies are available to support instructional excellence in in-person and online courses, and other pertinent modalities.
• Coordinates with other units, such as Student Success, Student Affairs and Campus Life (SACL), the Graduate School, etc., to ensure that efforts in instructional excellence align with other campus initiatives.
• Plans, schedules, and coordinates resources to develop and implement instructional design strategies that enhance teaching effectiveness and support all learners.
• Fosters partnerships with academic departments to promote a culture of instructional excellence and create innovative programs.
• Fosters a culture that uses data to inform decisions and establishes and maintains quality assurance processes to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives related to instructional excellence.
• Manages budgets and effectively allocates resources for projects, professional development, and teaching tools.
• Represents the University at conferences, workshops, and other professional development events related to instructional innovation and pedagogy.

Other Functions

• Contributes toward a positive and respectful workplace defined by personal and professional competence, integrity, and collaboration.
• Understands and contributes to implementation of departmental and institutional goals of non-discrimination and creating a respectful, inclusive environment that is supportive of University's diverse community.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Master's Degree with ten (10) years of related experience with progressive responsibility, including five (5) years of supervisory experience or Doctoral Degree and more than six (6) years of related experience with progressive responsibility, including three (3) years of supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated experience in higher education teaching, learning, pedagogy, and instructional design.
• Proven leadership ability in academic environments with a focus on teaching excellence and innovation.
• Broad knowledge of and experience with current instructional technologies for synchronous/asynchronous online courses and in-person courses.
• Ability to set work priorities, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines; ability to anticipate project issues and establish plans to remedy them promptly and efficiently.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with campus stakeholders, work independently and/or with multiple constituencies, speak or make presentations before groups, and conduct effective training.
• Demonstrated ability in establishing and maintaining productive relationships with a full range of diverse campus and external constituents that reflect a strong customer service commitment and a continuous quality focus.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

Typical office environment.

Work Schedule

• On campus position
• Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm
• Some nights and weekends required

Salary Information

Salary commensurate on experience.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Along with the application, please submit a resume, and cover letter. References will be checked at the finalist stage. Please be prepared to provide contact information for three (3) professional references.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst welcomes all qualified applicants and complies with all state and federal anti-discrimination laws.